Pencil-sharpener



(No Model) v T. WARING.

PENCIL SHARPBNER.

No. 573,731. Patented Dec. 22, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS IVARING, OF OAMDEN, NEIV JERSEY.

PNClL-SHARPENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 573,731, dated December 22, 1896.

Application filed October 16, 1895. Serial No. 565,882. (No modely To all whom, it 'may concern:

Beit known that I, THOMAS WARING, a citizen of the United States, residing in Camden, New Jersey, have invented certain Improvements in Pencil-Sharpeners, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and efficient form of pencil-sharpenin g device whereby scattering 'of the chips or shavings and soiling of the ngers are prevented and facilities are afforded for properly governing the depth of cut, also for properly pointing the lead after the wood has been shaved down around the same and for readily sharpening the knife when it becomes dull, the device being so constructed that the knife is prevented from acting upon the lead in such manner as to break the same while paring the wood, and the parts being so arranged that the power of the hand which manipulates the knife can be exerted to the best advantage and so as to have the knife under perfect control.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved pencilsharpening device, illustrating the manner of its use. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the device. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3 3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line 4 4, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line 5 5, Fig. 2. Figl G is a transverse section on the line 6 6, Fig. 2; and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the pencil-supporting block.

A represents a box having hinged lid A, said box being cut away at one side for the introduction of ihe pencil to be sharpened and having one of its ends reduced in height, so as to permit of the use of a knife-blade B with projecting external handle B. On that side of the box which is cut away for receiving the pencil is a block D, with inclined or beveled inner edge d, in which are two tapering recesses @c as shown in Fig. 7, the recess .fr being deeper than the recess x' and'extending from top to bottom of the block D, while the shallow recess x' is shorter. These recesses constitute an inclined pencil-supporting bed.

The block D may be of hard wood, metal, or other available material and is suitably secured upon an inwardly-projecting table or bed D' at the front of the box, said table or bed being preferably wider than the base of the block D, so as to form a projecting shoulder or flange d at the base of said block, al-

though, if desired, this shoulder may only be same near one end, the pivot end of the clip being flanked by washers g, which, however, as shown in Fig. 5, do not closely confine said pivot end of the clip, which is thus free to tilt or twist on the pivot-stud to an extent limited by a guide-loop G, which projects upward from the bottom of the box and is inclined slightly outward from bottom to top, as shown in Fig. 6, this guide-loop embracing the clip F, so as to determine the general direction of travel of the inner end of the knife-blade without, however, preventing such slight change of lateral position or angle of the same as is necessary to govern the depth of cut which is being made, this slight change of lateral position or angle being dependent upon the comparative looseness of iit of the clip F in the guide-loop and upon the slight amount of resiliency possessed by the latter. Some of the features of my invention are, however, applicable to a sharpener, in which the knife has no lateral freedom, but vibrates in a fixed plane.

In using the device the end of the pencil is first inserted in the deep recess as shown in Fig. 4, and the wood is gradually pared away by vibrating the knife B and turning the pencil as the knife acts upon the same, the depth or shallowness of the cut being regulated by the slight change of angle or slight inward and outward lateral movement of the knife, which is permittedby the looseness of joint of the pivot-clip and the slight lateral freedom of the guide G or of the clip in said guide. As the wood is pared away the cutting edge of the knife is prevented from acting on the proj ectinglead by the action of a guiderib a at the end of the inclined face of the block D, this guide-rib being such as to throw the cutting edge of the knife inward toward the center of the box before it can exert any injurious cutting or breaking eect upon the projecting lead or before any acting portion IOO in Fig. l, and Whiclrprovidesfor a more perfect control of the blade than would asimple straight handle.

As the pencil occupies a position between the fulcrum upon which the knife-blade swings andthe handle to which power is ap- -plied the force exerted upon the handle is multiplied by-the leverage thus gained. Hence the pressure of the hand upon the handle does not have to beso forcible as to interfere-with the accurate control of the position of the cuttin g-blade.

Vhile the inner end of the knife-blade might, ifA desired, be directlyrpivoted, I prefer in all casestov use the clip F, for theknifeblade B can then be readily withdrawn from said clip when it becomes necessary to sharpen the blade, and `when so withdrawn it can be sharpened yupon anordinary whetstone as readily as any ordinaryknife.

For convenience the whetstone may, if desired, be let into the lid or other suitable-portion of thebox, as shown, for instance, at I in Figs. 3 and 5.

Vhen the box D is made of wood or other like material, I prefer to affix to the-same a base J, of lead or other metal, which, by reason of its weight, serves to give stability 'to the box A in order to prevent the same from being shaken or moved by the hand under the action of the knife, this weighted base also rendering the device available as a paper-weight. The wood chips orshavings and the lead parings accumulate in the box and can be readily discharged therefrom when del. -A pencil-'sharpenin g device consisting of a box-.or receptacle'having. atable or bed for the support of the pencil, and a' pivoted paringfknife having a loose pivot-joint whereby a certain amount of lateral freedom of the knife is permitted, substantially as specified.

2. A pencil-sharpening device consisting of a box or receptacle havinga table or bed for `the support of the pencil, a pivoted paringknife having a loose pivot-,joint whereby a certain amount of lateral freedom of the knife is permitted, and a guide-loop serving to limit such lateral freedom, substantially as specified.

3. A pencil-sharpening device consisting of a box or receptacle having atablevor bed for the support of the pencil, and a vibrating knife pivoted so as t0 have a limitedamount of lateralfreedom, with a guard rib or projectionserving to prevent the cutting ,edge

of the knife-blade from coming into contact with the supporting-bed, or breaking the lead when paring away the wood from around the same, substantially as specified.

4C. A pencil-sharpening device consisting of a box or receptacle having a table or bed for the support of the pencil, a pivoted clip, and a paring-knife engaging with said clip and detachable therefrom, substantially as specified.

5. A pencilsharpening device consisting of a box or receptaclehaving a table or'bed for vthe support of the pencil, and a paring-knife pivoted so as to have a limited amount-of lateral freedom having at Aits free end a T- -shaped handle, substantially `as specied.

two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS XVARING. IVitnesses:

WILL. A. BARR, Jos. H. KLEIN. 

